With A Single Step
by Clare
Summary: Follow a girl called Juanita as she and her Deerling embark on a journey through the Edo region. The title derives from the Chinese proverb: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step". NOTE: The Edo region is my own creation, but I will not be including any made-up Pokemon.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

My childhood home was in a small village called Greenvale, a sleepy little place where not much happened. There was no Pokemon Gym - nor were we close to any places which did have Gyms - so the Pokemon trainers who passed through occasionally tended to be those who'd taken a wrong turn as they travelled the Edo League circuit. Either that or they were among those trainers who choose not to collect Gym Badges and simply travel from place to place, battling their Pokemon along the way.

There was a small Poke Mart, run by a kindly old couple called Mr and Mrs Briggs. But there was no Pokemon Centre, the nearest one being in Meadowlea Town which was just over five miles away, so, if someone from Greenvale had a Pokemon which needed help, they had to either take it to Meadowlea or have the local healer take care of it. And the local healer just happened to be my mum; she'd started a Pokemon journey when she was a girl, but soon found that battling Pokemon wasn't for her. So she became a Pokemon healer instead, settled in Greenvale, married my dad and dedicated her life to looking after sick and injured Pokemon. Of course, she and my dad found time to have me somewhere down the line.

For the most part, I was content with my life. I'd listen to the stories told by passing Pokemon trainers, but the idea of becoming a trainer myself never crossed my mind. Until the day I found an injured Deerling . . .

It was a warm day in spring and I was gathering berries for my mum to use in her home-made remedies. Some Pokemon healers use herbal remedies, but these tend to be bitter and the Pokemon dislike the taste. But my mum's remedies were berry-based; she said they tasted nicer than the herbal remedies and she had even considered getting hold of a Shuckle so that she could produce Berry Juice. Anyway, I was gathering berries when I heard a noise in the bushes and decided to have a closer look. I saw a pretty deer-like Pokemon with a yellow flower behind her right ear, her hide as pink as spring blossoms.

A Deerling. But that wasn't all - I could clearly see a cut on her left foreleg, one which was clearly causing her pain. I could not tell what had caused the injury, but I knew it had to be treated; if it wasn't, it could get infected. First, though, I had to gain her trust.

* * *

Crouching down and moving as slowly as I could, I reached towards the Deerling. "It's all right," I told her soothingly. "I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to take you somewhere you can have that cut on your leg seen to."

"Deerling?" The little pink deer sounded apprehensive and I found myself wondering if it had been a human who caused her injury. If that was what had happened, I would have to be gentle with her to avoid stressing her out. The last thing I wanted was for her to bolt and go running off into the tree, not with her leg in its current state. So I gently stroked her, whispering soothing words as she crouched there, unsure what to make of me but seeming to sense that I meant her no harm.

Finally, she seemed to be relaxed enough for me to pick her up. I hoisted her onto my shoulders, picked up my basket of berries and headed for home. It wasn't easy carrying a Pokemon this way, but there was no other option since I had no Poke Balls with me and I needed one hand free to carry my basket. Still, Deerling seemed to trust me, perhaps sensing that I was someone who had helped injured Pokemon before.

This wasn't the first time I had done something like this. Sometimes, when I was out collecting berries, I would come across injured Pokemon which I would take home for my mum to treat. When they were better, we released them back into the wild; I saw some of them occasionally and they always seemed grateful to me for helping them. I imagined the same thing would happen with Deerling, not guessing how close we were to become.

* * *

"Juanita, what's up?" My mum was sitting outside our little cottage, her Persian lounging on the lawn. The cream-coloured cat had once been the Meowth which had been her first Pokemon, the Pokemon with which she had started her journey when she was a girl. Unlike other regions, Edo doesn't have an official set of starter Pokemon, comprising one Grass Type, one Fire Type and one Water Type; here, new trainers can pick from a wide selection of Pokemon. All at their first evolutionary stages, of course. In fact, most of the trainers here already have Pokemon when they start out and only visit their local professor to get their licences.

Anyway, it was obvious that my mum had seen the Deerling I was carrying, not that it was hard to miss the fact that I had a pink deer draped across my shoulder. So I quickly explained what had happened, how the Deerling had injured her leg, how I hoped my mum could heal the wound. My mum answered without hesitation; you can't afford to hesitate when you're dealing with an injured Pokemon. "Bring her inside," she told me. "I'll fetch my medicine bag."

My mum generally treated the Pokemon that were brought to us on the kitchen table - after it had been covered with a sheet, of course. Larger Pokemon such as Charizard or Beartic were treated on the floor, but Deerling was small enough to go on the table. So, before too long, she was lying on the table as my mum examined her leg; she winced slightly as my mum touched the cut, so I gave her a reassuring stroke.

"Shh, it's OK. My mum's just going to give you something for your bad leg. You'll be fully fit in no time."

"Deer," she said, looking at me with her large eyes, eyes which were full of love and trust. I stroked her again, then watched as my mum came in with a bag of her home-made remedies.

I'd watched my mum treat injured Pokemon many times before, so I knew the procedure. But I watched all the same, knowing it would be useful to know this information in the future; there was every chance I would have to do this myself one day. First the wound was cleaned - Deerling squealed in discomfort during this procedure - then dressed with a white bandage. Afterwards, my mum gave her some mashed-up Oran Berries, saying they would help her to regain her health.

"There. All done," my mum said once she was through playing doctor to Deerling.

* * *

When my dad got home from work later that night, my mum him all about it. Deerling was sleeping on the hearthrug and I was kneeling beside her, listening as my parents talked to each other.

"Do you know what happened to her, Roberta?" my dad asked at one point.

My mum shook her head. "Not precisely, but I'm guessing she had a fight with another Pokemon. It was Juanita who found her. Carl . . ." My mum paused, then continued. ". . . I've been thinking. Juanita's old enough to start training Pokemon, so maybe she could take care of Deerling. At least until the injury heels. After that . . . well, it's up to Juanita."

My dad said he could see no reason why I shouldn't be responsible for Deerling; after all, as my mum said, I was old enough to start training Pokemon. Some other kids my age had left on Pokemon journeys already, but the idea of doing so myself had never crossed my mind. However, it did cross my mind a few days later, after I had a run-in with Nicole.

Nicole, I should explain at this point, was a girl who lived two doors down from us. She was my age, with long black hair, green eyes - and a major attitude. She thought she was somehow better than everyone else because her dad had been a famous Pokemon Master in his youth and she was absolutely convinced she was going to follow in his footsteps one day. Appropriately enough, she already had a head start where Pokemon were concerned; her dad had given her an Absol for Christmas the year before.

* * *

Anyway, I was sitting in the garden with Deerling, whose leg was now much better, when Nicole strolled up, trying but failing to look casual. "Hey, Neet!" she called, using the nickname she knew I hated. "I didn't know you had a Pokemon. What is it? A Deerling?" She clicked her tongue in mock disapproval. "I bet it's never battled either. Now, my Absol's been in . . ." But she got no further before Deerling leapt to her feet. "Oh, so the little pipsqueak wants to battle me? Very well - I could use some practice before I start my Pokemon journey."

With that, Nicole pulled a red-and-white Poke Ball out of her jacket pocket and threw it. "Absol, do your stuff!" she shouted, as her Pokemon materialised in a flash of light. The Absol towered over my little Deerling, but I knew I couldn't back out of a Pokemon battle, especially against Nicole; she would only accuse me of "wimping out". So, even though Deerling had never battled against a trainer before, I had to at least try. I turned to Deerling.

"Don't worry about trying to win," I told her. "Just do your best and . . ."

I was cut off by Nicole's teasing voice. "Oh, Neet! Since I'm in a generous mood today, I'm gonna let you make the first move. Not that it'll affect the outcome, of course."

"We'll see about that!" I retorted, with more bravado than I felt. This was my first time in a Pokemon battle and it was going to be against a girl who'd already battled several times. Nonetheless, I had to try. "Deerling, Tackle!" I called, recalling when I saw another Deerling use that move in a televised Pokemon battle.

"Is that the best you can do?" Nicole asked, as Deerling galloped towards her Absol, ready to slam her body into the Dark Type Pokemon. "Absol! Dodge it and use Quick Attack!"

Seconds before Deerling made contact with her opponent, Absol leapt to one side, causing her Tackle to miss. Then, while she was still trying to work out what to do next, he struck, moving so fast that he appeared to be a blue-and-white blur. The next thing I knew, he'd knocked Deerling to the ground and stood over her, ready to attack her with the scythe-like blade on his head. Absols often use their headblades in battle, particularly rival males trying to impress a female. But it seemed Nicole's Absol liked to use his blade against any Pokemon, regardless of species or gender.

I had to think fast; I could not afford to lose my first battle so easily. "Deerling, get up!" I urged, praying that she would be able to, that I would not have to face the humiliation of having to concede. For one thing, I knew Nicole would never let me forget it.

Luckily, Deerling was soon on her feet and ready to face her opponent again. I was beginning to regret letting my be goaded into a battle I had little hope of winning, but I couldn't back out now. So I quickly tried to think of another Attack a Deerling could do. "Deerling! Sand Attack!" I ordered finally, hoping having sand in his eyes might at least slow Nicole's Absol down.

Deerling began to whip up a small sandstorm, which she then directed at Absol. It hit home, getting in his eyes and putting him temporarily out of action while his vision cleared; this prompted Nicole to utter several words which I won't repeat. While she was swearing, I had Deerling use another Tackle Attack; this time, it hit home and Absol was the one who ended up on the ground. However, he soon regained his feet.

As I'd expected, I ended up losing that battle; Absol got Deerling with an Ice Beam, leaving her frozen solid. Nicole smirked triumphantly as she recalled her Pokemon. "Well, Neet, what d'you think of that? My Absol's pretty good - and he'll be even better once I've been on my Pokemon journey. Talking of which, I'll be starting out tomorrow. See ya!"

And, with that, she walked away. I watched her go, thinking of how insufferable she would be if she returned to Greenvale with several Gym Badges to show for her efforts. She was bad enough now! There was only one thing I could do.

I must make my own Pokemon journey.

* * *

I raised the subject with my parents that evening. They did not object, having said all along that it was up to me to decide if and when I wanted to make a Pokemon journey, but they did seem surprised by the suddeness of my decision. Only yesterday, I had been perfectly happy to stay in Greenvale and help my mum heal injured Pokemon. "This doesn't have anything to do with Nicole, does it?" asked my dad.

I looked at Deerling, now thawed out and, thanks to my mum's Aspear Berry tonic for frozen Pokemon, none the worse for wear. "Partly," I admitted. "But I also think Deerling's got potential. She did well for her first battle and, once she's got a bit more experience . . ." I left the sentence unfinished and reached down to stroke my pretty little deer.

My parents eventually agreed that I could begin my journey - the day after tomorrow. I tried to argue, saying this would only put Nicole even further ahead of me, but they told me one day shouldn't make too much difference. "Besides," my dad added, "you'll need to prepare. There's more to making a Pokemon journey than just leaving home with a Pokemon. For one thing, you'll have to stock up on supplies at the Poke Mart."

He was right, I realised. We seldom bothered with conventional Pokemon medicine, preferring to use my mum's homemade remedies. But the bottles used to store them were bulky, besides which they could get broken while I was on the road. Pokemon medicines bought from the Poke Mart on the other hand, came in small packages which could easily fit into a backpack and were unbreakable. In addition, I would also need a supply of Poke Balls and those don't grow on trees. I had heard of Apricorns, a special kind of nut which comes in seven colours and can be used to craft different kinds of Poke Ball depending on what colour Apricorn is used. However, they only grow in the Johto region.

In the end, I agreed to delay my journey by a day and spend tomorrow getting ready.

* * *

The next day, I headed over to the Poke Mart armed with a shopping list of all the things a Pokemon trainer needs on the road. My mum had made out that list the previous night, based on her own brief time as a trainer. I'd read it through before I set out and knew it contained the following items:

_Potions  
Antidotes  
Paralyze Heal  
Burn Heal  
Ice Heal  
Poke Balls (pack of six)_

In other words, everything a rookie Pokemon trainer needs to get started. I walked into the Mart and made my way over to the counter, where Mrs Briggs stood ready to serve me. "Can I help you?" she asked, smiling at me. Even now, I can still see her standing there, a kindly old lady in a dark blue dress, her grey hair pulled back in a bun.

"Yes," I replied, pulling out the list my mum had given me. "I'd like a pack of Potions, please, and some basic healing items. Paralyze Heal, Burn Heal and Ice Heal. Oh, and a pack of six Poke Balls," I added, as Mrs Briggs turned round to get the items I had requested. Seconds later, she placed two packets on the counter, one of which contained the basic healing items I had asked for, while the other contained six Potions. Then, she back around and picked up a packet of six red-and-white Poke Balls from another shelf. "Are you starting a Pokemon journey soon?" she asked, placing the Balls on the counter with the rest of the items.

I nodded, prompting Mrs Briggs to start reminiscing about her days as a trainer and the Pokemon she'd raised; she started with a Psyduck. She would probably have carried on talking all day had I not reminded her of my presence. "Oh, sorry," she said, turning to her cash register and starting to ring up my total. She told me how much I owed her and I counted out my money, placing it on the counter. Then, I left, carrying the items I had just bought in a small bag.

"Good luck on your journey," Mrs Briggs said as I headed out of the Poke Mart. The shop bell tinkled as I closed the door behind me.

* * *

At home, I approached Deerling as she grazed in our small paddock, calling to her. She trotted over to me and allowed me to stroke her as I explained that I would shortly be leaving here to go on a Pokemon journey.

"Deerling?" she said, looking at me out of her dark eyes. I knew she was asking me if I was going to go away and leave her. I'd only known her for a few days, but we'd already formed a close bond, enough for me to understand (or at least get the gist of) what she was saying. I've since learned that such an understanding is common among trainers and their Pokemon, particular the trainer's first Pokemon.

"I'm taking you with me," I told her, taking out on of the Poke Balls I'd bought earlier. I pointed the Ball towards her and pressed the button on the front, watching as she was drawn into its core. The red-and-white sphere vibrated in my hands for a moment, before pinging shut with Deerling inside. Of course, the fact that she already trusted me made getting her into the Ball fairly straightfoward, but I knew wild Pokemon would be another matter. I would have to weaken them before I could catch them.

In the meantime, I put Deerling's Poke Ball into my pocket and headed inside to continue getting ready for tomorrow.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

I set off the next morning, carrying with me everything I had packed the previous night. Deerling's Poke Ball was attached to Mum's old trainer belt, which she had dug out and given to me, and my empty Poke Balls were in a pouch in my pack where I could reach them easily if I wanted to catch a Pokemon. For the time being, however, I was content simply to watch the Pokemon I passed as I followed the road which led from Greenvale to Meadowlea Town.

I had decided to make Meadowlea my first destination, partly because it was the nearest town, but also because I would have to get a Trainer's Licence and Pokedex before I could begin my journey in earnest. Mum had a Pokedex, an old model which looked rather like a red book, from her days as a trainer, but Pokedexes also serve as a trainer's ID and, as such, are non-transferable. I would need a Pokedex of my own and that would mean visiting a Pokemon professor. There was, I recalled, someone called Professor Cartwright who lived in Meadowlea and was licensed to issue Pokedexes; as soon as I reached the town, I would look for his lab.

In the meantime, it was a fine spring day, so I decided to make the most of it. I let Deerling out of her Poke Ball and allowed her to walk beside me as I walked along the road to Meadowlea.

* * *

I was just getting to the outskirts of Meadowlea when I made my first Pokemon capture. Well, I guess Deerling was technically my first, but this was the first Pokemon I caught by battling my own Pokemon against it. Anyway, I was almost at my destination when I heard something buzzing around in the bushes. A Pokemon? If so, what sort was it? I turned to the Deerling walking beside me.

"Go see what that is," I told her, pointing towards the bushes.

But, at that moment, a Pokemon flew out from behind the bushes. This Pokemon consisted of three honeycombs stuck together, each with a cute little face. A Combee, I realised, recalling when I had seen a documentary about Combee colonies on TV. And a good chance to test my Pokemon-catching skills; I knew what to do in theory, but practice was another matter. Of course, since Deerling was Grass/Normal, she was at a disadvantage against a Bug/Flying Type like Combee, but I had no other Pokemon yet, so I had to do the best I could with what I had.

"Deerling, Tackle!" I ordered, watching as she ran towards the Combee and knocked it out of the air. The Combee fought back with Gust, but I told Deerling to dig in her heels and try to resist being blown away. Luckily, she was bigger than the Combee, which made that part fairly easy; I then had Deerling use Tackle again, this time weakening the Combee to the point where it could no longer fight back. I readied one of my empty Poke Balls, took aim and threw. The Ball hit the Combee, drawing the small Bug Pokemon into its core; I watched it vibrating on the ground for several seconds as the Pokemon within fought to get free. Presently, however, I heard the same ping I had heard when I first put Deerling in her Poke Ball.

"Yes!" I cried, unable to resist jumping up in the air. I had caught my first Pokemon, hopefully the first of many. I was beginning to feel like a real Pokemon trainer.

* * *

With both my Pokemon in their Poke Balls, I entered Meadowlea Town.

It was larger than Greenvale; I could tell that at a glance. And, unlike the village I had grown up in, it had a Pokemon Centre, a red brick building easily recognisible because it had an oversized Poke Ball over the front door. I decided to make this my first port of call; Deerling and Combee could probably use a check-up and I could ask directions to Professor Cartwright's lab while I was here. Having never been inside a Pokemon Centre before, I was unsure what to expect as I pushed open the door and peered in.

I saw a lobby with several people and Pokemon sitting on benches. A pretty nurse in a pink uniform was standing behind the counter; as I watched, she placed the three Poke Balls which the girl at the counter had just handed to her into a machine beside her. Then, she pressed a button and the machine chimed five times before the Poke Balls emerged once more. The nurse smiled as she handed the Balls back to the girl.

"Your Pokemon are much better," she said. "Good luck on your journey."

With that, the girl left, taking her three Poke Balls with her. I waited until she had gone before I made my way over to the counter. "Can I help you?" asked the nurse, smiling at me. "Do you wish to have your Pokemon healed?"

I paused to consider her question. "Well, I don't think they really need it, but OK." While she checked over my Pokemon, I might have time to ask her a few questions about how Pokemon Centres worked; after all, I was going to be using them a lot from now on. I put my first question to her as I handed over the Poke Balls containing Deerling and Combee. "So, what do you do here?"

"Well, our main job is healing injured Pokemon," she replied, as she placed my Poke Balls in the machine. "But we also provide accommodation for travelling trainers. Of course, we're only a small Centre, so trainers have to camp in the lobby, but there are Centres which offer private rooms." While she talked, she pressed the button and I heard the machine emitting the same five chimes it had made earlier. Then, my Poke Balls emerged and the nurse handed them to me, smiling as she did so. "There. Your Pokemon are looking great."

"Thanks," I said, taking Deerling and Combee's Poke Balls. They certainly looked shinier, I noted as I looked at them, almost as if they had been polished. I was just about to put them back in my bag when I remembered something, the reason I had come to Meadowlea. "Er, do you know where Professor Cartwright lives?"

"Certainly. His lab's the largest building in town - you can't miss it. It's just around the corner."

I thanked the nurse and left the Pokemon Centre in search of Professor Cartwright's lab.

* * *

As the nurse said, it was impossible to miss the Pokemon lab. Not only was it the largest building in Meadowlea, just like she said, it had a sign at the front door with the words: _Pokemon Laboratory_ printed on it, with Professor Cartwright's name immediately below. And, as if to emphasise the building's purpose, the sign also incorporated a stylised Poke Ball. This was where I would obtain my trainer's licence and officially begin my Pokemon journey.

I pushed open the door and entered, finding myself in a room full of hi-tech gizmos. There was a machine in the far corner which looked as though it was used for transporting something, though I could not tell what. On closer inspection, however, I discovered a slot which was the same size and shape as a Poke Ball; I thought about putting one of my Poke Balls in the slot, but decided it might not be a good idea. Messing with things you don't understand never is. In any case, it was then that the lab door opened and a young woman walked in.

She was probably in her early twenties, her black hair tied back in a pony-tail, a silver fob watch pinned to her white lab coat. A Natu hopped along behind her. "Can I help you?" she asked when she saw me.

"Yes - I'm here to see Professor Cartwright."

"Is this about your Pokemon Trainer's Licence?"

I nodded.

"Wait right here please." The young woman, the Natu still hopping in her wake, made her way over to a door at the far end of the room and opened it a crack. "Dad!" she called. "There's another new trainer waiting in the lab!"

Moments later, a middle-aged man, also dressed in a lab coat, entered via the same door. He had the same dark hair as the young woman, though I noted that he had a touch of grey around the temples. He wore wire-framed spectacles and carried a clip-board and pencil. This had to be Professor Cartwright; I'd never met him before, didn't even know what he looked like, but there was no-one else this man could be. I cleared my throat and told him who I was and why I was here.

* * *

"So you're Juanita, are you?" Professor Cartwright asked me. "Juanita Taylor?"

"Yes," I replied. I resisted the urge to add: "That's what I just told you." I then confirmed that I was here to get my trainer's licence, since this was the nearest Pokemon lab to where I lived.

"Yes, of course." Cartwright crossed over to a nearby computer and began to enter my details; these were my name, my home address in Greenvale and the fact that I currently had two Pokemon (a Deerling and a Combee) with me. "OK, you're all set," he told me once he had finished. "But, before I give you your Pokedex, I need to go over a few rules for catching Pokemon. First of all, _no_ trying to catch Pokemon belonging to other trainers; your Poke Balls won't work if you attempt it. The only way you can legally obtain another trainer's Pokemon is by trading one of your own Pokemon for it. Also, you may carry up to six Pokemon at a time. If you catch a Pokemon and you already have six, it will automatically be transported here." He nodded towards the transporter I had noticed earlier. "If you want to add your new Pokemon to your team, you'll have to swap one of your other Pokemon for it."

"How do I do that?" I asked, wondering if it was a stupid question.

"Just call the lab from any Pokemon Centre and I'll send your Pokemon straight over. As soon as you've sent me one of the Pokemon on your team, of course." He then nodded towards the young woman. "Or, if I'm not available, my daughter, Vanessa, will do it instead."

* * *

The next order of business was my Pokedex. "This is the latest model," Cartwright told me, handing me a device about the same shape as a tablet computer. "I've already programmed it with your trainer ID, so all your have to do is switch it on. Press the button on the bottom right."

I did so and a robotic voice immediately launched into a spiel about the device being "a Pokemon encyclopedia registered to Juanita Taylor". Its task was to provide me with information and advice on the care and training of Pokemon; it contained data on all known species. It said a load of other stuff as well, which I can't remember now, before Cartwright continued to explain how it worked.

"If you tap the Poke Ball icon," he told me, "a list of all known Pokemon will appear on the screen. You can use this list to look up any Pokemon, but I don't recommend this as it can involve a lot of tedious scrolling. However, there are various ways by which you can narrow your search. With the list open, you can choose to search by Type; just tap the icon which corresponds to the Type you want to look up and the list will only show Pokemon of the selected Type."

Following his instructions, I accessed the list and immediately saw eighteen symbols across the top of the screen, one for every known Pokemon Type. There was a flame for Fire Types, a raindrop for Water Types, a leaf for Grass Types . . . and so on. Wondering what the Pokedex had to say about Deerling, I tapped the leaf icon and scrolled down the list of Grass Pokemon until I got to Deerling which, I noted, had a Poke Ball icon next to it. I tapped the icon and the image on the screen changed to a picture of a Deerling in its pink spring colouring, as the robotic voice spoke again.

_"Deerling, the season Pokemon. This Normal/Grass Pokemon changes colour according to the season and has been used to mark the passing of the year."_

Cartwright then explained the other ways I could search the Pokedex. I could look up Pokemon by habitat, by colour, by evolutionary line . . . and so on. And, once I'd called up a Pokemon's entry, the Pokedex could then tell me anything I wanted to know about that Pokemon, though I would have to find out how to do that for myself as it would take too long for him to explain. However, he did tell me that Pokedexes were fairly easy to maintain; they were powered by batteries which recharged as you walked and remained in standby mode until they were needed. And, if I pointed my Pokedex at a Pokemon, it would automatically access the entry for that Pokemon.

I tried it with Vanessa's Natu. _"Natu, the little bird Pokemon,"_ said the robotic voice. _"Natu skillfully avoids buds and spines while picking food from cactus plants."_

* * *

"You know," Vanessa said as I was preparing to leave, "you're the second person from Greenvale we've seen lately."

"The second?" I had a fair idea who the first was. Nicole, the girl who had such an attitude, who thought being the daughter of a famous Pokemon Master meant she was better than everyone. And who had started her Pokemon journey the day before I did; if I knew her - and unfortunately I did - she was probably already way ahead of me. I would have to hurry if I wanted to catch up with her. I told Cartwright and Vanessa so.

"Wait!" Vanessa stopped me as I was about to leave the lab. "You'll need this." She handed me a small device which, when I switched it on, turned out to be a computerised map of the Edo region. Red dots marked the locations of villages, towns and cities; I found the one labelled _Greenvale Village_ and followed the road on the map until I got to the next dot, the one labelled _Meadowlea Town_. This one had a small Poke Ball icon next to it. "We give these to all new trainers," Vanessa explained. "It shows all the points of interest in Edo, even your current location." She pointed to the Poke Ball icon next to the dot which represented Meadowlea.

"Which only leaves your Badge case," Cartwright added, handing me the item in question. This was a large black wallet, which opened to reveal eight slots, one for each of the eight Gym Badges I would have to earn to qualify for the Edo League. There was, Cartwright explained, no set order in which you had to earn your Badges, but most trainers started with whichever Gym happened to be nearest to where they started their journeys. Which kind of makes sense if you think about it.

Anyway, I received my Badge case and placed it in my pack. All I had to do now was figure out where I was going to go first; I didn't want Nicole to get too far ahead of me. I put this question to Cartwright and Vanessa, figuring that, since he was a Pokemon professor and she was, from what I had gathered, his assistant, they might have some ideas.

"I'd try Brightspring City," said Vanessa, pointing out the location on my map. "It's about two days' walk away - the Gym Leader's called Brooke." Of course, two days was probably an outside estimate of how long it would take to get there; if you planned to do any Pokemon catching along the way, it would probably take longer.

Talking of Pokemon catching, I decided I'd better stock up on Poke Balls at Meadowlea's Poke Mart. Deerling and Combee were all very well, but they both had similar weaknesses; I would need Pokemon of other Types to balance my team out. I had four empty Poke Balls, enough for me to fill out my team, but it would be useful to have a few extra Pokemon on standby at Cartwright's lab. That way, if I came up against a Gym Leader my current team couldn't handle, all I'd have to do was call the lab and swap out a couple of Pokemon for ones that were more suited to the task at hand. But not Deerling; I was quite attached to her and could not imagine swapping her out for any Pokemon.

* * *

Once I'd bought another pack of Poke Balls, I set off on the road which led to Brightspring City, the place where I hoped to earn my first Gym Badge. I was travelling along the winding country lanes when I first met Aidan.


End file.
